Nislynn's Chronicles
by Serena10
Summary: Lord of the Rings X-Over. Alternate Universe. 19th Century Willow happens to be stuck on an "imaginary" island.
1. June 16th 1845

June 16th 1845  
  
  
Dear journal,  
  
I received a letter from America today. No doubts, it's from dad. He's been gone for several months now. I miss him. A lot. I feel so alone. Sure, there's Faith to keep me company, but still...   
  
I wish I could already be on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. Daddy told me I could join him in New England. I can't wait to see America. I love England, but I want a change of scenery. I'm getting bored here.   
  
I've already talked to Faith. She agreed to come with me over sea. It's not like someone's waiting for her in Europe. Her family abandonned her a long time ago and daddy agreed to take care of her. She's been my best friend since then. You should have seen her face when she learned her new father was called Rupert Giles... and you should have seen dad's reaction when she called him G-man. I still don't know where she picked up that name.   
  
We are leaving next week. The house had already been sold and the new owners are arriving in six days. All the arrangments has been made. I talked to Alexander Harris, a family friend that does shipping between Europe and America. He agreed to take me and Faith on board for the trip.   
  
I have to go now. Faith is yelling at me because she's alone doing the packing. We'll talk to each other when I have the time.  
  
Sincerly yours,  
  
Willow Ann Giles. 


	2. Lost

Lost  
  
  
"Would someone please tell us what is going on?!"  
  
Captain Alexander Harris laughed. "You're British and you ask me what is happening? Look around you, Lady. It's a little fog."  
  
Faith was fuming. "A *little* fog that's been going on for about five hours," she muttered. "Even in England we are not stuck that long in mist."  
  
Willow watched in amusement the new episode in her trip across ocean. Her best friend and the captain had been glaring at each other since they put step on the ship three days ago. [They act like children.] But she knew the truth behind that hatred. Faith was far too independant to admit needing someone and the captain far too manly to admit falling for a simple girl.   
  
But she had to be with her best friend with that one. They had been stuck in the fog for far too long. Even if he spoke quite the contrary, she knew Alexander was worried. The look on his face was proof enough. He knew something was wrong. Fog didn't last five hours.  
  
"I didn't know we could have fog in the middle of the sea," she said.  
  
"Usually, it's impossible so far away of the coast. You have to be near land," Alexander said. "And I don't have anything on the chart. There's no island near our position." He sighed. "But the major thing is, we don't know were we are going. We can't see our direction."  
  
"Great," Faith muttered. "Stuck with Captain Loser on Atlantic ocean." She turned back and get down the small flight of stairs, going to hers and Willow's cabin.   
  
The redhead followed her down, giving an apologetic smile to the captain. She closed the door behind her. "You don't have to be so mean with Alexander. It's not is fault if we are surrounded by mist."  
  
"I know. There's just something about him that makes me... I don't know, nervous or something."  
  
Willow laughed. "Someone is in love," she sang softly.  
  
"Am not," the brunette replied, pouting.   
  
Anything the redhead could have said was cut off by a flash of light and thunder. The two young women looked at each other. "Uh oh!" They said together. Faith ran before Willow, taking two steps at the time, running on the bridge. "Please don't tell me we're going straight into a violent storm, being blind and all," she told the captain.  
  
"I'm afraid we have no choice. We couldn't see it coming with the fog."  
  
Willow sighed. "Tell us one good thing."  
  
"Uh, the rain will dissipate the fog?"  
  
"The day is getting better and better," Faith muttered. She groaned when she felt the first drop of water fall on her head. She startled when lightening struck in the sky. Suddenly, rain fell down on them, heavy drops of water. It was a real shower. The fog had dissipated, but there was still grey low clouds over their heads. "Could this get any better?" Faith asked.  
  
Willow's eyes narrowed at the big black clouds coming their way. Lightening struck and illuminated the sky. The wind came up and they couldn't hear anything else then the storm's sounds. "You had to ask, didn't you?" she yelled to her friend.  
  
The entire ship crew was on the deck, scared. They had rarely seen a storm of this intencity in that part of the ocean. "Captain! We can't hold on much longer! The waves are too strong!" The ship was pushed by the force of the water and they had no way to know in wich way they were going.   
  
Suddenly, a stronger wave crashed in the boat, over the main deck. Faith only heard a strangled cry just as a small form with red hair fell into the violent waters. "Willow!"   
  
She was about to jump, but a strong arm stopped her. "Don't Faith. She's gone. Getting drowned won't help her." Alexander held tightly the crying woman in his arms. He looked up. "Jesus Christ!"  
  
The ship crashed in a rocky construction. Faith screamed as she was thrown backward. She hit her head hard on the wheel giding the ship. The entire crew was cursing when another bolt of lightning showed what had been hidden before them in the darkness.   
  
A huge escarped cliff with sharp rocks was set in front of them. They tried to get away from it, but the backwash was getting them closer and closer from the crash. Faith slowly made her way to the captain that was yelling orders. He saw the young woman striken with grief pleading with her eyes. He gave up and quickly gattered her in his arms, pulling her up and keeping her close while he continued his job.  
  
But the end was near and he couldn't do anything about it. Fate was sealed.  
  
Bits of wood flew everywhere and some of the men were thrown in the ocean, never to be seen again. It happened so fast, they didn't even had time to make it to the safety boats. Alexander and Faith did their best to keep over water. The captain swam them to a piece of the ship floating. When lightning struck again, he saw that his ship was wrecked, stuck in the sharp rocks at the base of the cliff.  
  
With the last of their strenght, they swam, the rest of the crew still with them. But most of the men had died... as well as half of the passengers, meaning only one : Willow. Faith hardened her gaze, not reading to brake down just yet. She had to be strong for the moment. She had to survive.  
  
They reached the shore, finally. The young woman breathed heavily, spiting water. It took her a moment to notice none of the men were speaking. They had simply shut down suddenly.   
  
She was about to ask what was wrong, when two feet stepped before her. Her gaze followed the legs, then the waist, up torso and finally landed on two grey eyes. A hand was stretched out to help her. With only a small hesitation, she put her hand in his and he helped her up. "Thanks," she whispered. When lifting her head up, she froze. The guy was *litterally*, get this, *glowing*. Her eyes widened when she saw his pointy ears. [Where the hell did we land?!]  
  
Haldir grinned upon seeing their expressions. "You are lucky to be still alive," he said gently in a soft voice.   
  
Captain Alexander walked to him. "Who are you? Where are we? There ain't no island on the map in this piece of ocean."  
  
"This island isn't drawn on maps, because it isn't suppose to exist in the mortal world."  
  
"We're dead?!" Faith squealed, feeling suddenly sick.  
  
"Far from it," Haldir answered. "You are on Nislynn. Welcome to the hidden misty island of Elves." 


	3. Say Hello to my Fist

She coughed, spitting the salted water from her mouth. Willow groaned. She was hungry, she was thirsty and her head hurted like hell. Slowly lifting up her head, she closed her eyes a little. The sun was shinning down on her heavily and she was starting to get hot... or totally toasted truth is. She was laying on golden sand and she could see the shadows of the trees a couple of meters ahead.  
  
Willow tried to remember what happened. She could clearly remember the fog ; that she couldn't forget because they had been stuck in it for five hours. She and Faith had run upstairs when they'd heard the storm coming ahead. There had been a higher wave and she had been thrown overboard. After that, she couldn't remember much. Her dress was too heavy and she hadn't been able to swin very long. She had finally thought about giving up when she had seen some piece of wood float ahead. With the last of her strenght, she had grabbed it tightly, never letting it go.  
  
[Why was there a piece of wood anyway?] Then it clicked. "Oh. My. God. Faith!" The redhead looked back at the ocean behind her and she felt tears flood her eyes. Either her theory was wrong and her friend was far away from her with Alexander, thinking she was dead, or she had died along with the man she loved in a shipwreck. "Let them be ok," she whispered, hoping that her God would hear her.  
  
Sighing, Willow stood up slowly, still weak from her misadventure. She walked to the trees, hoping for a moment without sun. She was burning and wouldn't mind a spot of non-steaming air. "I wish daddy was here. He'd know what to do."   
  
"Because you don't?" a soft voice asked next to her.  
  
The redhead screamed as she startled. She turned back quickly and didn't saw the blond man standing a bit *too* near from her.   
  
She slugged him accidently.   
  
The man stumbled back, holding his jaw and groaning in pain. "You have a strong arm." He stood up slowly, not wanting to frightened the small redhead more than she was already.  
  
Willow was looking at him wearily. Her hands were shaking slightly from the adrenaline and her eyes had widened considerably. "W-who...who are you?" She jumped back as he took a step toward her. "Where..." Her sentence was left there when he pushed his long blond hair back. She could clearly see the pointy ears. "What are you?" she asked quickly.   
  
"I'm an Elf."  
  
"Elves don't exist. Y-you're just some kinf of... of freak." Her voice was trembling and she stood shakily on her legs. Her hands were crisped into fists.  
  
The Elf cocked his head to the side. "You're scared. Don't be. Give me your hand."   
  
When he advanced toward her in a quick stride, she reacted. She took a step back, then jumped forward, punching him right on the nose. She heard him curse as she jumped over his slumped form. Without a backward glance, she ran in the forest.  
  
* * *  
  
"Please sit down. Someone will come and get you soon." Haldir turned back and left the beautiful white and silver living room.   
  
Faith sat down heavily on a wooden chair. She dropped her head in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. "I can't belive she's gone," she whispered. She startled when she felt a hand on the top of her head. "I miss her already, Alexander." He pulled her gently in his arms.   
  
The both of them were so preoccupied, they didn't heard the light footsteps of the new Elf in the room. "Are you so unhappy on Nislynn?" a teasing voice asked.  
  
Faith looked up at the smiling face of a blond woman with a long white silk dress. "I'm sorry for breaking down like this. We just lost a friend." She smiled weakly, a tear rolling down her cheek. She felt the captain squeeze her hand reassuringly.   
  
"All will go well, Faith. You worry too much. Live the day. Don't think about the futur and stop looking in the past."  
  
"Wait. How did you know my name?"  
  
The blond Elf smiled. "I know many things even some that were not told."  
  
"Galadriel, stop scaring my guests." A dark haired Elf strode toward them. The two humans were quite surprised as he had been the first being with dark hair they had seen on Nislynn. "Celeborn is waiting for you in the gardens."  
  
Galadriel nodded thankfully at him. "It's been a pleasure. See you later, Elrond." She exited the room.  
  
"Follow me. I'll guide you to your room for the time of your stay. We see that you and your crew get what is needed to build back your ship. You can't stay on our island too long."  
  
"Why's that?" Alexander asked.  
  
"Nothing ages on Nislynn. You are as immortal as I am on this island." He guided them to a single room with two beds. The sun made the floor shimer. Everything was in white and silver, making it seem even more ethereal. "Someone will come fetch you for dinner."  
  
Faith looked outside. "I wonder is she suffered. I wish she hadn't drowned last night."  
  
"Faith," Alexander warned. "Forget it. I'm sure it was quick. Let her rest in peace." He put his arms around her shoulders and held her close. He sighed and hoped the young woman would get better soon.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ugh! I wish I *had* drowned last night."   
  
Willow screamed in rage. She was completly lost in the woods. The sun was high in the sky, meaning it was around noon. She had ran away from the blond Elf about two hours ago. [An Elf! What is this island?!]   
  
"Stupid branches," she muttered. She kicked the tree she was battling against and a sleeve of her dress was torn. "Great."   
  
With a heavy sigh, she started walking again. No need running. She couldn't hear any kind of footsteps behind her and she doubted the El... the creature was following. [Why would he bother with me? Especially when I punched him!] Willow was quite proud with herself. It was the first time she had to defend herself and she did quite well. She had learn some tricks from Faith in secret. It wasn't *proper* for a lady to know how to fight.   
  
Suddenly, Willow heard something coming from behind her. She quickly looked back, trying to see through the tick branches of the trees. She couldn't see anything, but she could swear she had heard someone walking not far away.   
  
Not taking any chances, the redhead broke into a wild run again. She jumped over fallen trees and rocks. She breathed heavily. She took her skirts in her hands, lifting her dress to her knees. It wouldn't do to fall down because she stepped on her own dress.  
  
Willow stopped running and put her hand on a near by tree, steadying her up. She tried to catch her breath, looking behind her, just in case she saw something. She took a couple of steps forward and never saw the hole.  
  
With a scream, the redhead fell down in the hole, scratching her arms and her face against roots and rocks. She landed on her back. Her head was spinning and she could see spots of lights. "Ugh!" She could vaguely see the branches and the green leeves over her head with some ray of light coming down through them. She was in a hole of about three meters large and the ground level was two meters above. It was high and she thought she could climb up without problems.  
  
A scream escaped her lips when she try to stand up. Her right ankle hurted like hell. "Great. Twisted my ankle, stuck in a dirty hole and nothing to help me get out of it."   
  
Panick crept up in her mind. She didn't know where she was, she was hurt and for all she knew, she could be stuck there until she died. A sob shook her small body. "Help!" She cried. Her heartbeat had increased and she was breathing heavily. Once more, she tried to stand up, but all she could do was scream in pain and let herself fall back down again.  
  
She shivered. Her arms, neck and left cheek were covered in blood from her fall. The earth was cold and her body seemed hotter than usual. She was building a fever from her night in the ocean and her wounds healing very slowly.   
  
Still frightened, Willow curled on herself the best she could, trying to forget the pain. 


	4. Green Paradise or Hell on Earth?

She was running in a maze, everything was black around her. She couldn't see anything around her. It was pure darkness. The air was cold and she was freezing. Somehow, she felt a throbing in her right ankle and she moaned in pain every times she walked too hard on her right foot. She was sweating from her run, she was hungry and cold, but she ran nonetheless.  
  
Suddenly, she felt a peacefull warmth cover her and the dark maze slowly disappeared from around her. She shivered when a warm breeze hit her sweaty skin. She suddenly realized that she wasn't touching the earth any longer. She took the last of her strenght to open her eyes and she groaned in pain.   
  
"Shh," a soft voice whispered. "You're safe now."   
  
She tried to see the owner of the protective's arms, but everything was blury. The only thing she could see was the long blond hair and the glowing light around *it*. She closed her eyes again and grabbed the person's shirt in her fist. She fell asleep once more.  
  
* * *  
  
Legolas looked at the small woman whrapped in his coat. Her hair seemed even brighter in the firelight. She was one curious creature. She had hit him harder than he wanted to admit that same morning near the beach on the west side of the island. At first, he hadn't wanted to run after her. She was just a bunch of troubles. But then, he thought that she was far away from the city and could easily get lost in her way there.   
  
He rested for an hour before taking off after the red haired woman. Following her was easy as she didn't hid her tracks behind her. At night fall, he finally found her. She had fallen into a deep hole and was lucky to not have broken her pretty neck. Her ankle was twisted into an odd angle though.   
  
He had picked her up and found a small clearing in the woods where they could sleep off the night. He had built a fire and craddled the redhead next to him, close to the flames and the warmth. Her forehead was sweaty and she shivered, a sign that she was building up a fever. He touched her skin and hissed. She was too hot.   
  
Willow felt like she was in a dream. She knew she was partly awake, but she could move or see straight. She felt cold and hot at the same time. She shivered when a hand touched her forehead. The same hand then stroked gently her hair. She felt a calming peace take over her mind. She felt safe.  
  
Legolas was worried when he saw her shift in her sleep. She seemed to be in the middle of a nightmare. The fever was making her a bit delirious. He had finally fell asleep when she had woken him up while screaming. He was able to make out some words like "storm", "faith" and "drowning", but the rest was just some muttering. He managed to understand that the ship she was in had apparently sunk and she was probably the only survivor. No wonder she was acting a bit crazy when he found her that morning.   
  
He put a hand on her forehead and she imediatly calmed down a little. He pulled her shivering body in his arms and stroked her back until the dreams stopped and she relaxed in her sleep. Just then did he allow himself to join her in slumber.  
  
* * *  
  
When Willow woke up, the first thing she was aware of were the strong arms around her shoulders. She was surprised when she saw the blond guy she had met... the morning she had woken up on the beach, whenever that was. She remembered falling into a hole and twisting her ankle. Looking down, she saw that her feet were bare and that her right ankle was covered in a green substance.   
  
Gently, she pushed the man's arm away and jumped on one foot to a bush to pee... she just hoped he wouldn't chose that time to wake up. When she jumped back to the small clearing, the blond was starting to wake up and she fought the urge to bolt away. If he was dangerous, he could have let her down that hole.  
  
When Legolas opened his blue eyes, he saw a pair of green ones watching him with curiosity. "I see you're feeling better."  
  
"Hum, yes. Thank you," she said softly, blushing under his gaze. She was quite embarassed to have been caught staring. She jumped toward him.  
  
"You don't have to jump. I've put some elven medicine on your ankle. It should hurt a little still, but you can walk on it with no problem." He nodded to her and she walked to him, limping a bit. "Let me have a look at it."   
  
She jumped when he touched her ankle. She wasn't used to men touching her legs. It was improper for a young lady of her status to let herself be touched there, but with Faith's help, she was used to just ignore the most ridiculous high society's rules. "Thanks for getting me out of the hole," she said suddently.  
  
"I couldn't let you down there. You hit me pretty hard yesterday morning, but it was no reason to let you die. I may be different than you, but I do know the meaning of honnor."  
  
She winced when she understood he was making a reference to when she had called him a freak. "I'm sorry about that. Usually, I'm not so judgemental, but... I wasn't feeling very well."  
  
"I understand. You talked when you slept. I understood enough to know that your ship sunk and that you are alone."  
  
Willow looked down at her hands twisting her skirts, willing the tears back. "I just hope my friends are okay." She looked up and offered him a timid smile. "You know, this conversation is going much better than yesterday morning."  
  
He laughed gently, glad she was already feeling better. She was maybe still sad, but at least, she was willing to forget it and try to grab some hope. "I'm glad you didn't punch me this time. What do you say we head toward civilisation?"  
  
"There's actually civilisation on this island?"  
  
"Yes. Nislynn does have a city, but I'm quite sure it's not one you are used to. If nothing has change since the last time I was on the continent, elven cities are quite differents from human ones. But we should go. We have a long way to go and we may have to stop often not to hurt your ankle. For now, you may holf yourself against me."  
  
* * *  
  
At night fall, they finally saw the lights of the city. Willow gawked at it. "It's beautiful," she whispered.  
  
"It's all made of mithril. It glows in the moonlight." He heard shouting coming from the trees straight ahead and he knew that they would have company soon enough. "Guards will arrive soon. I hope your journey through the woods wasn't too exhausting."  
  
"It was perfect, thanks to you, Legolas." After all, the Elf wasn't too bad. He was of much pleasant company than what Willow had expected. She even liked him. She turned around when she heard shouts.  
  
"Stay back, miss. We don't know if she is dangerous."  
  
"Dangerous?! That's my friend you're talking about! Go that way and see if I'm waiting for you.!"  
  
Willow's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Faith!" She ran like she could to the brunette and jumped in her arms, hugging her like there was no tomorrow. "I was so scared you had drowned."  
  
"And you, Red?! You scared me to death when you passed overboard. Are you okay?"  
  
"Except a twisted ankle, I'm fine. Legolas saw to it," she pointed toward the blond Elf and froze when she saw a blond female Elf attached to his neck, checking for wounds. Willow couldn't look away from the sight of the two Elves. A gentle hand shook her.   
  
"Willow?" Faith asked.  
  
"What? I'm okay, I'm okay. Lets go inside, shall we? I'm hungry."  
  
"That much, hun?" Faith said, laughing. "Come on. Follow me. Soon, you won't be able to eat anymore and I'm warning, you may die strangled by Alexander because he's going to hug you until you can no longer breath."  
  
The redhead burst in laugher. She cast a last look at Legolas before following her friend toward the glowing city. 


End file.
